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Amazing Athletes series
Savage Jeff. Amazing Athletes Series. Lerner Publications, 2005. 32 pages. Index, glossary, bibliography
- Dale Earnhardt Jr. 0-8225-2946-7 (lib) 0-8225-2953-X (pbk)
- LeBron James 0-8225-2947-5 (lib) 0-8225-2954-8 (pbk)
- Michael Vick 0-8225-2430-9 (lib) 0-8225-2955-6 (pbk)
- Tom Brady 0-8225-2948-3 (lib) 0-8225-2956-4 (pbk)
The Amazing Athletes series focuses on up-and-coming players and is perfect for meeting children’s requests for books about popular sports figures. Each volume opens with a pivotal winning moment in the athlete’s life: the Daytona 500 win for Dale Earnhardt Jr. , LeBron James's first game for the NBA, Michael Vick’s playoff victory in 2005, and the third Superbowl win for Tom Brady. From there, each story backtracks to the life events that made the man: family life, excellent mentors, and hours of practice at their game.
In just 24 pages, Savage effectively recaps the excitement of a milestone, provides the statistics that showcase talent, and make it easy for non-fans to understand the hype. Most admirably, all four young men are role models for youth – polite, grateful, hard workers with strong priorities, team-oriented attitudes, and the desire to make their parents--and fans--proud.
Captioned color photos appear on nearly ever page. Sidebars provide additional information, and direct quotes from subjects are incorporated. Resources are current and reliable. A list of selected career highlights make for an excellent summary. At just $6.95 for the paperback edition, these timely titles are a quality purchase for school or public libraries. Skip the $22.60 library edition and bulk up on multiple copies instead – these titles are sure to be popular.
